Foraging in South East Cornwall
- Sara
- Jun 26, 2023
- 1 min read
As part of the course I am currently on we are encouraged to explore our native flora and fauna. My Sunday morning stroll was blessed with a lawn of yellow heads. On closer inspection these were not dandelions. After much comparison of identification narrative I have these pinned down as cats ears the final confirmation was the use of its mini buds as capers because they do look like capers.
I selected a number of the flower heads at Dawn today the dew was still present on many leaves but the general air temperature was warm so not much residue on the grass. I picked enough to fill a small jar (less than 100mls). Dog pooh bag came to the rescue and provided a good receptacle for carrying these home.
The flowers were still closed - this is a helpful hint to the identification - flowers that close at night. Look at the leaves what shape are they, how long, do you want to take a sample to carry on your identification at home? The Cats Ear has a basal floret of leaves with a large tap root. As the root is a good source of cortisone you might want to explore this medicinally at some point.
Where do you forage?
Organic Fields
Hedgerows
Seaside
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